Electric wire mounting device



1941- c. F. ABBOTT ELECTRIC WIRE MOUNTING DEVICE Filed Dec. 27, 1939INVENTO m0 BY W TORNEY Patented Feb. 18, 1941 .UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates in general to a device for connecting electricwires to or suspending them from supports, a specific object of theinvention being to provide a novel and improved,

5 simple and inexpensive means for mounting upon Christmas trees thewires and lamp sockets of electric lighting sets.

Another object of the invention is to provide means of this characterwhich shall include a 0 mounting device frictionally slidablelongitudinally of an electric wire and embodying novel and improvedfeatures of construction so that the device can be positively attachedto a tree branch or other support at any of a plurality of points in thelength of the wire and against movement lengthwise of the branch toenable, for example, the lamp sockets of a tree lighting set to besuspended from the branches of a tree in the most convenient ordesirable manner, such as between '20 branches or directly upon thebranches.

A further object is to provide a mounting device of the characterdescribed which shall include a novel and improved runner that can beeasily and quickly mounted on a wire at any desired point, and a clip ofnovel and improved construction mounted on said runner for attachment toa'tree branch or other support.

Other objects are to provide such a mounting device wherein said clipand runner are constructed and combined in a novel and improved simpleand inexpensive manner; and to obtain other results and advantages aswill be brought out by the following description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing in which 3 5 Figure l is a fragmentary perspectiveview of Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional View on the line 4-4of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view on theline 5-5 of Figure 4. 59 Figure 6 is a detached side elevational view ofthe runner of my mounting device, and

Figure '7 is a detached end elevational view of the clip of my mountingdevice.

Specifically describing the invention, the ref- 65 erence character Adesignates the lamp socket body preferably formed of electricalinsulating material such as wood, fiber, porcelain, glass, rubber, orother known suitable compositions, and may be decorated and of anysuitable color. The runner is provided with an axial opening 2 extendingtherethrough and of a diameter to receive and frictionally engage a wireB. To facilitate attachment of the runner to the wire, the runner isformed with a longitudinal slot 3 extending inwardly from the outerperiphery of I the runner and intersecting the opening 2, the :0 slotbeing of a width less than the diameter of the opening. With thisconstruction, the wire may be forced through the slot 3 into the opening2, laterally of the runner, the wire being sufiiciently compressible andthe material of the 25 runner preferably being sufficiently resilient topermit this operation. l

A clip 4 is mounted on the runner and preferably includes a strip ofspring metal folded upon itself to form a loop 5 and a pair of opposedspring $0 arms 6. The loop 5 encircles the runner coaxially with theopening and the arms 6 project laterally from the runner. The loop isslit circumferentialy at 1 to provide an annular spring tongue 8approximately coaxial with the loop. B5

The runner has a circumferential groove 9 in which the loop 5 of theclip is seated, and at the base of the groove 9 is a secondary grooveII] in which the spring tongue 8 is seated.

As above stated, the material of which the run- 40 ner is formed ispreferably resilient, and preferably the resiliency of the spring tongueis such as to cause the tongue to snugly encircle the runner andconstantly exert pressure thereon so as to force the walls of the runnerat opposite 5 sides of the slot 3 into frictional contact with the wireB, whereby the runner will be frictionally held in any adjusted positionagainst accidental movement longitudinally of the wire.

It will be observed that the loop 5 may be expanded and the arms 6 maybe spread apart without afiecting the tongue 8. Therefore, the springtongue 8 firmly holds the runner against lateral displacement from theclip. This is important because in some instances theloop 5 might beexpanded, and the arms 6 might be spread apart when attached to a largebranch, sufficiently to allow the runner to slip out between the arms ifthe tongue 8 were not present. The tongue 8 also has the effect of aclosure for the opening of the loop to prevent slipping of the runnerlaterally out of the loop.

With this construction, it will be observed that the runner I may beslid longitudinally of the wire B to any desired point in the length ofthe wire, whereupon the arms 6 of the clip 4 may be slipped over abranch D of a tree or other support so that said branch or support ispositively gripped between the arms as shown in Figures 1 and 4. Ifdesired, the arms 6 of the clip may be serrated or formed with inwardlydirected prongs or teeth H to prevent slipping of the clip from thebranch. Accordingly, the lamp socket A may be suspended between widelyspaced branches, as shown in Figure 1, or by sliding a mounting device Cinto a position close to the socket, the socket may be directlyconnected to a branch.

The arms of the spring clip permit the clip to be positively attachedand held against movement longitudinally of a branch, and also permitthe clip to be attached to the branches of different diameters and witha simple lengthwise sliding movement of the arms laterally of the branchinstead of with a hook action which is most common in mounting devicesof this general character.

The loop 5 of the clip at all times closes the slot in the runner, asshown in Figures 3 and 4, so as to positively prevent disconnection ofthe runner from the wire; and movement of the clip longitudinally of therunner is prevented by the grooves 9 and It]. If desired, the groove 9may be omitted, in which case the groove l0 and the spring tongue 8alone would prevent movement of the clip longitudinally of the runner.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art, that instead ofproviding the slot 3 for insertion of the wire into the opening 2 of therunner, the slot may be omitted and the Wire may be threaded endwisethrough the opening 2,

While I have shown and described the now preferred embodiment of myinvention, the details of structure of the mounting device may bemodified and changed by those skilled in the art without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the invention Having thus described my invention,what I claim is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a body member havingan opening therethrough toreceive another part, and a clip including anopen loop embracing said body member and having a pair of opposedintegral spring arms at its ends to grip a support between them, saidloop being circumferentially slit to form an integral tongue whichencircles the body member and extends across the opening of the loop toprevent lateral displacement of the body member out of the loop betweensaid arms when the latter are spread apart.

2. A device of the character described comprising a body member havingan opening therethrough to receive another part, and a clip including anopen loop embracing said body member and having a pair of opposedintegral spring arms at its ends to grip a support between them, saidloop being circumferentially slit to form an integral tongue whichencircles the body member and extends across the opening of the loop toprevent lateral displacement of the body member out of the loop betweensaid arms when the latter are spread apart, said body member also havinga circumferential groove in which said tongue is seated to hold saidbody member against displacement longitudinally from the loop.

3. A device of the character described comprising a block of materialhaving inherent resiliency and provided with an opening therethroughfrom end to end to receive frictionally a wire or the like, there beinga slot extending inwardly from the periphery of said block to saidopening throughout the length of the latter, and .a clip for supportingsaid block including means to engage a support and a spring loo-pencircling the block, said loop normally compressing the block atopposite sides of said slot to force the walls of said opening intotight frictional contact with said wire or the like.

4. A device of the character described comprising a block of materialhaving inherent resiliency and provided with an opening therethroughfrom end to end to receive frictionally a wire or the like, there beinga slot extending inwardly from the periphery of said block to saidopening throughout the length of the latter, and a clip for supportingsaid block including a spring loop encircling said block and having apair of opposed integral spring arms to grip a support between them,said block also having an exterior circumferential groove and said loopbeing circumferentially slit to form an annular spring tongue that iscoaxial with said loop and is seated in said groove both to hold saidblock against movement longitudinally out of said loop and to compressthe block at opposite sides of said slot to force the walls of saidopening into tight frictional contact with said Wire or the like.

CHARLES F. ABBOTT.

